New ministry. — The King's eldest son is sent with an army to Tulingana. — Wurungole besieged. — Disaffection of the of­ficers. — Dispersion of the troops. — Retreat of the Prince to Dehly. — A new army collected. — The Prince proceeds a second time to Wurungole, which is taken. — The Raja and his family sent to Dehly. — The Prince proceeds to Jajnug-gur — returns to Wurungole, and proceeds to Dehly. — The King leaves his son in Dehly, and proceeds to Bengal — in­vades Tirhool — returns towards Dehly — is met by his son at Afghanpoor. — A temporary building is erected by the Prince for the King's reception. — The building gives way, and the King and some of his attendants are killed.

BOTH the ancient and modern historians of Hin-doostan have omitted to mention the origin of this Prince, so that in fact we have no satisfactory ac­counts of his pedigree. But the author of this work, Mahomed Kasim Ferishta, when deputed by his sovereign, Ibrahim Adil Shah of Beejapoor, to the court of Jehangeer Padshah, then at Lahore, took pains to enquire from certain persons in that country, well read in Indian history, what they knew of the origin of the Toghluk dynasty. They all agreed that no written authority existed on the subject, but said that it was generally believed, ac­cording to tradition, that the name of the father of Gheias-ood-Deen (the first of the family who ascended the throne of Dehly) was Toghluk, and that he was a Toorky slave of Gheias-ood-Deen Bulbun; that he married a woman of the Jut tribe (the cultivators of Lahore and its vicinity), and that she was the mother of Gheias-ood-Deen Toghluk. The author of the Moolhikat says that the name is properly Kootloogh, from whence is derived Kootloo, but that Toghluk is a vulgarism.

When Gheias-ood-Deen Toghluk ascended the throne, he regulated the affairs of the government, which had fallen into disorder, in so satisfactory a manner, as to obtain general esteem. He repaired the old palaces and fortifications, built others, and encouraged commerce. Men of genius and learning were invited to his court: a code of laws for the civil government were framed, founded upon the Koran, and consistent with the ancient usages of the Dehly monarchy.

Mullik Fukhr-ood-Deen Joona, the King's eldest son, was declared heir-apparent, with the title of Aluf Khan, and the royal ensigns were conferred on him. The King's other four sons were, Beiram,

A. H. 721.
A. D. 1321.

Zuffur, Mahmood, and Noosrut. Beiram Abia, who had so effectually aided the King with the army from Mooltan, and whom he now adopted as a brother, received the title of Kishloo Khan, and was appointed his lieutenant over the provinces on the Indus. Mullik Assud-ood-Deen, one of the King's nephews, was appointed Bar-bik, and Mullik Baha-ood-Deen, another nephew, was appointed Aariz-ool-Moomalik, with the pro­vince of Samana for his support. Mullik Shady, another nephew, who was also the King's son-in-law, was made vizier. Mullik Boorhan-ood-Deen, received the government of Dewgur, and his adopted son, Tartar Khan, the government of Zuffurabad.

The King, meantime, stationed troops on the Kabul frontiers, and built forts to protect his do­minions from the incursions of the Moguls, which so effectually answered the purpose, as to prevent his being troubled by these invaders during the whole of his reign. In the second year after his ac­cession, the Prince Aluf Khan, the King's eldest son, attended by some of the old nobles, with the troops of Chundery, Budaoon, and Malwa, was despatched towards Tulingana. It appears that Luddur Dew, the Raja of Wurungole, during the late disturbances, had refused to send his tribute, and the province of Dewgur had also relapsed into disaffection. The Prince Aluf Khan ad­vanced accordingly into those countries, and plun­dered them in every direction. Ludder Dew op­posed the Mahomedans with spirit, but was in the end obliged to retreat into the city of Wurungole, which Aluf Khan immediately invested.

The siege was carried on with great loss on both sides; but the works having been lately strengthened, no practicable breach could be ef­fected. The Moslems, meanwhile, on account of the hot winds and severe weather, were seized with a malignant distemper, which swept away hun­dreds every day. Many became desirous to re­turn home, and to this end spread false reports through the camp, which threw universal con­sternation over the army. No advices having been received for above a month from Dehly, one Sheikhzada of Damascus, Oobeid the poet, and some other companions of the Prince Aluf Khan, circu­lated a report, that the Emperor was dead, and that a revolution had taken place at Dehly. Not content with this, they went to the tents of Mullik Kafoor, seal-keeper, and Mullik Tuggeen, two of the prin­cipal officers in camp, and told them the state of affairs at Dehly. They also said that the Prince Aluf Khan, suspecting that they would dispute his right to the throne, had resolved to cut them off.

The officers, deceived by this false information,

A. H. 722.
A. D. 1322.

left the camp that night with all their adherents. The Prince Aluf Khan thus deserted, was under the necessity of raising the siege, and retreating in haste and dis­order towards Dewgur, whither he was pursued by the enemy with great slaughter. On his arrival there, letters of a late date being received from Dehly, exposed the falsehood of these rumours, on which the Prince halted, and collected his scattered army. The officers who had fled, dis­agreeing, took separate routes; they were at­tacked by the infidels, plundered of their ele­phants, camels, and baggage, and otherwise greatly harassed in their march. Two of them, Mullik Teimoor, and Mullik Tuggeen, both fell vic­tims. The former died, in a prison of one of the Hindoo Rajas; and the other was cut off by the Marattas; while Mullik Gool Afghan, and Mullik Kafoor, were seized by their own troops, and brought back to Dewgur. An enquiry was instituted into their conduct; the authors of the false reports were discovered, seized, and sent prisoners to Dehly. On their arrival there, the King ordered them to be buried alive, with the severe remark, “that as they had buried him “alive in jest, he would bury them alive in “earnest.”

The Prince Aluf Khan, after his retreat from Dewgur, brought back to Dehly only three thousand horse, of all his great army. In two months, how­ever, he recruited his troops, and again marched to Wurungole. On his way thither, he besieged and took the town of Bedur, belonging to the Raja of Wurungole, on the frontiers of Tulingana, and some other places, wherein he left garrisons. He then advanced to the capital, and renewing the siege of Wurungole, reduced it to surrender. Some thousands of Hindoos were put to death, and Luddur Dew, with his family, were taken prisoners. Aluf Khan sent them, together with their treasures, elephants, and private property, to Dehly, under charge of Kuddur Khan, and Khwaja Hajy, the latter of whom had been second in command under Mullik Naib Kafoor. Upon their reaching the capital, great rejoicings were made in the new citadel at Dehly, which the King had just finished, and to which he gave the name of Toghlukabad. The Prince Aluf Khan appointed officers to govern the country of Tulingana, and caused Wurungole to be called Sooltanpoor, * after which he proceeded in person towards Jajnuggur. On this occasion, he took forty elephants from the Raja, and sent them to his father. Returning to Wurungole, he stayed there a few days, and marched back to Dehly.

A. H. 724.
A. D. 1323. In the beginning of the year 724, complaints arrived from Luknowty and Soonargam, of the oppressions com­mitted by the governors of that province, and Gheias-ood-Deen Toghluk, after having appointed his son Aluf Khan to the government of Dehly, marched in person towards Bengal. When he reached Nahib, * Nasir-ood-Deen, Kurra Khan, the son of Gheias-ood-Deen Bulbun, and father of

A. H. 725.
A. D. 1325.

Kei Koobad, who had remained in that government since the death of his father, came from Luknowty to pay his respects, bringing with him many valuable presents. He was confirmed in his government of Bengal, and permitted to assume the ensigns of royalty; after which, Gheias-ood-Deen Toghluk prepared for his return. At this time, also, Tartar Khan, the King's adopted son, was nominated to the government of Soonargam, and directed to reduce to subjection Bahâdur Shah, an officer of the reign of Alla-ood-Deen Khiljy. Bahâdur Shah was defeated, and fled; but Tartar Khan succeeded in seizing him, and sent him to the King. In the Futtooh-oos-Sulateen†, * it is related, that as the King was passing near the hills of Tirhoot, the Raja appeared in arms, but was pursued into the woods. Finding his army could not penetrate them, the King alighted from his horse, called for a hatchet, and cut down one of the trees with his own hand. The troops, on seeing this, applied themselves to work with such spirit, that the forest seemed to vanish before them. They arrived at length at a fort, surrounded by seven ditches full of water, and a high wall. The King invested the place, filled up the ditches, and destroyed the wall in three weeks. The Raja and his family were taken, and great booty obtained, while the government of Tir-hoot was left in the hands of Ahmud Khan, the son of Mullik Tubligha, after which the King returned towards Dehly. On reaching Afghanpoor, he was met by his son Aluf Khan, with all the nobles of the court, who came to congratulate him on his safe return. At this spot Aluf Khan had raised a temporary wooden building, in three days' time, for his father's reception. When the entertainment was over, the King ordered his equipage to pro­ceed: every body hastened out, and stood ready to accompany him, when the roof of the building sud­denly fell, and the King and five of his attendants were crushed in the ruins.

Some authors have attributed this accident to the nature of the building, and think it might have been pushed down by the crowd of elephants that were without. Others refer it to design, of which they accuse the Prince Aluf Khan as the contriver, because, say they, the construction of such a building in a camp was quite unnecessary; and Zeea Burny, a contemporary of Feroze Togh-luk, between whom and Aluf Khan, afterwards Mahomed Toghluk, the greatest intimacy subsisted, has neglected to mention the story in his history. But it will occur to all unprejudiced persons, that these accusations are far from probable. For it must be recollected that the Prince himself had been for some time with his father in the building, during the entertainment: how, then, was he to effect, as if by a miracle, that the house should fall on the very moment he left it? But the most entertaining surmise is that recorded by Sudr Jehan Guzeratty, who asserts, that the Prince Aluf Khan raised the palace by magic, and the instant the magical art which upheld it was with­drawn, it fell. Hajy Mahomed Kandahary says, that it was struck by lightning, and this does not seem at all improbable. But God only knows the real truth.

The death of Gheias-ood-Deen Toghluk hap­pened in the month of Rubbee-ool-Awul, of the

Rubbee-ool-Awul,
A. H. 725.
February,
A. D. 1325.

year 725, after a reign of four years and some months. The poet, Ameer Khoosrow of Dehly, who lived to the end of this King's reign, and received a pension of 1000 tunkas monthly, wrote the history of this Prince, under the title of the Toghluk Nama; but the work is very scarce.